The Infernal Devices
by shadowsgirl7124
Summary: I don't know where exactly I was going with this but I was trying to just write on the fly. Here's what I got.


London, England 1880. May 7.

"William Herondale! I can't BELIEVE you!" A loud, high pitched voice called in anger. Jem turned to look at why his Parabatai was being scolded thoroughly by Jessamine. They had only just return from a demon slaying week in the lovely city of Venice and he was already in trouble. Jessie was very enraged and Jem burst out in laughter upon seeing why, her new dress was stained and torn. "I just bought this from Mister Jaque down the lane! I payed quite a lot for it too!"

"Stop whining Jessie. I just slipped because you were in the way. Had you moved, I wouldn't have slipped." Will said while rolling his eyes and rising gracefully like a cat to his feet and brushing his black hair from his ice blue eyes. "Trust me. You can buy yourself a new one I mean let's be honest. It's just a dress."

"An expensive, designer dress! I suspect you shall be buying me another." Jessie scolded shooting irritated glares.

"Why on earth would I do that?! The fewer dresses you have the better! You're a Shadowhunter! Not a doll!" Will said and glared back.

"Well why can't I be a mundane?! They get to be a lady before all else! I detest Shadowhunting! It's a pointless and useless profession, a lady shan't wear anything but the newest designer dresses! Especially if they are as fortunate and rich as I!" Jessie yelled and stormed over to him. The spat about to occur was one Jem did not wish to bear witness to.

"Alright! Break it up! As my mother use to tell me when I fought with neighbouring children, 'Zhànzhēng bùnéng shǐ hépíng. Zhǐyǒu hépíng cáinéng zuò dào zhè yīdiǎn.'" Jem spoke swiftly brushing his silver hair from his eyes. Will and Jessie stared incredulously at Jem.

"Parabatai, I love you but I regret to inform you I speak Latine loqui et non solum exacte Sinica." Will answered. Jem laughed and responded smoothly in Latin.

"Cuius vis a basic bene quod sicut dictum est, bellum non pacem. qui solus potest facere pacem." Jem's latin wasn't anything to brag about, he tended to mix up words from time to time as he spoke Chinese first. His french was pretty good though. Jessie spoke french the best out of all of them, Jem himself spoke the best Chinese and Will spoke phenomenal latin. The only language he spoke better was English.

"Excuse me but je pas parle Chinois ou latin ainsi que le français. Pouvons-nous simplement parler anglais?" Jessie said swiftly. "All though Jem's Chinese never ceases to amaze me… It's so fluent and well said, your voice is musical, like your violin but your violin plays songs from heaven. Speak more"

"Wǒ de nǚshì, wǒ rènwéi zhè shì yīgè hěn hǎo de bǔchōng. Yào huā jǐ nián de shíjiān cáinéng wánchéng, nǐ de fàguó rén yǒu niǎo er chànggē. Wéiyī bǐ nǐ gèng piàoliang de nǚhái shì tài shā·géléi, dàn tā shì wǒ de wèihūnqī, suǒyǐ wǒ xiǎng wǒ bù huì xuǎnzé yīfāng." The words rolled easily off his tongue so smoothly that Charlotte glanced down from the top stair case and called down.

"Jessie's right on both accounts, Jem's Mandarin Chinese is beautiful but let's stick to English for now." Charlotte called from the landing above and Jessie smirked triumphantly, casting Will a look and sticking out her tongue at him.

Will snorted and glanced up to where Charlotte stood and mumbled under his breath, "Very mature but I believe you've mistaken as, Jessie's never right and on the day she is I will have the Queen herself begging to marry me. As I'm sure this could be arranged, it's illegal and would have me banished from the shadow world. Also all my bonds would be broken so I would have to say no regardless because I value my life. Pity."

Jem casted him a small smile under his scolding glare, he them glanced back up to Charlotte and called up to her. "Have you spoken to Henry about the gadgets recently? You know the one I'm inquiring about, Tessa's peculiar necklace that he's been fiddling with for the past week. Tessa desires him to return the necklace in one piece if that is at all possible for a man as curious as he." Jem knew Henry had probably already taken it apart, refigured it, and taught it to sing all in the manner of one simple week but a man can hope. Jem glanced toward the sound of an opening door and watched his fiancee, Tessa Grey, make her way into the large library they were all currently gathered in.

"James!" She ran over to him and wrapped him in a hug. She planted a kiss on his cheeks and nuzzled him. "How was Venice? I heard it was quite lovely this time of year, with the crystal waterways and every colour and people!" She gasped and smiled as Jem smiled and kissed along her neck.

"It was beautiful. Yet… I only had Will for company. It's lovely to see your bright and shining face." He looked up from her neck and brushed a strand of hair from her face, the touch was so soft that it caused a blush to rise gently in her cheeks. Will rolled his eyes, saying something about how he wasn't bad company at all and that Jem shouldn't mind his company as they were Parabatai. Jem didn't care nor did he want to respond. He was transfixed on Tessa. Tessa was gorgeous, her skin was fair, features weren't sharpened or faded they were perfect, her face had something in it, bestowing age beyond her years. Uncommon to many warlock, she didn't bear a demonic mark. Her brown hair fell in perfect ringlets about her face and her grey blue eyes glistened with hope and love.

"I missed you Jem… Jem, dear, you need your medicine." Tessa ran her fingers along his agile, pointed, sharp, cheekbones. His complexion was faded and almost paper white, his eyes, usually sliver with the only life line of the drug, were paled to white and his pupils looked like back splotches on a white fresh sheet of parchment. His silvered hair had also begun fading to a white that caused shivers down Tessa's spine and pulled at her heart strings, how could Will be so selfish as not to notice Jem was slowly dying?! The worst by far, though, was how heavily he was leaning on his cane. The jade head of the cane, jaded head of the serpent that caught the light if angled right, had his cold hand resting on it, he shook slightly. He was much too young to need a walking stick but there are horrors in Jem's past, ones that made others pasts look like a joke. Other horrors shrink away and hide.

"Yes. Can you fetch it, it's in the foyer of my bed room." Jem said softly and Tessa nodded, kissing his cheek than darting away to go fetch his medicine.

"It's sickening Jem." Will called from his placement atop the ladder, scrolling through old war plans in London Institute history.

"Ah, to you it is simply because you fell deeply in love with her yourself. Yet she chose me. And I do believe that she's angered at you right now." Jem said softly and collapsed back in the chair breathing heavily, holding his head as he was feeling short on breath and quite light headed. He burst out in a coughing fit and was not only coughing, but also coughing up blood. Will gasped and glanced down he flung himself off the ladder and sprinted to Jem's side.

"James!" Will clung to his Parabatai's shoulder. "Get him the Yin-Fen! Hurry!" Will called then his face softened and he looked at his Parabatai worriedly. "Hang in there Jem. Don't slip away... Don't leave me..." He began to choke back tears and shake slightly. He pressed his head to his Parabatai's chest listening to his heart. "Don't leave me, not now. Please…" He mumbled brokenly and Jem brushed away his tears.

"Shhh I'm ok. Tessa's coming…" Jem breathed and Tessa sprinted in. She handed him his Yin Fen and a glass of cold water. She watched in slight amazement as he immediately knew how to use the silvery powder. Tessa stroked his hair as he finished drinking it out of the cup filled with icy fresh water.

"Thank you my dear… Wǒ ài nǐ zhōngwén" He casted her a smile and Tessa blushed. That was the one thing she knew exactly what he said. It was an I love you. He had taught her that. She smiled warmly.

"Wǒ yě ài nǐ" Tessa replied calmly with a rough accent. She thought it sounded about right and when Jem nodded and wrapped her into a hug, kissing her head, she knew she had said 'I love you too' and it was correct.

"You learn well Tessa darling." Jem breathed softly and handed her the Yin Fen in return. Tessa brushed his hair from his face, the Carstairs ring glittering on her finger as she did so. The jade pendant also glittering on her neck and Jem ran his finger down it smiling.

"I'm a quick study…" She replied lightly, it was so soft and quiet that it was almost said on a breath.


End file.
